# My very first pipe and set!



## Dr BootyGrabber (Feb 11, 2011)

Hey fellas! I'm new to pipes and this is my first post in the pipes section, Well I am graduating college in 2 weeks and decided to head over to Watch City and spoil myself with a graduation gift :biggrin: after some council with the gentleman behind the counter I decided on a $40.00 Leonessa pipe from Italy. I was told its a good starter pipe......

I also picked up a tin of Dunhill early morning pipe and this will seem very newb but can someone tell me how to get the lid off, lol I can't seem to get it open ive tried twisting both ways and it wont budge....


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## Blue_2 (Jan 25, 2011)

Nice score and welcome to the Pipe slope!



Dr BootyGrabber said:


> I also picked up a tin of Dunhill early morning pipe and this will seem very newb but can someone tell me how to get the lid off, lol I can't seem to get it open ive tried twisting both ways and it wont budge....


Do you see the indentations on the bottom part just under the lip of the lid? Pry it up with a coin or the bent part of your pipe tool and it'll release the seal. Then just unscrew as usual.


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## owaindav (Mar 7, 2010)

Very cool! Hope you enjoy!

Oh, and don't bend the lid too much or it won't close as tightly. I push it till I hear the vacuum release but stop there.

Oh, one more thing....get in the newbie sampler trade. Even if you're not new to the site, it's good to have some cigar guys head this direction so you're still new to pipes!


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## rkm5052 (Mar 16, 2011)

Very nice start! I havent had the chance to try very many blends, but I really like EMP. I'd have to say its one of my favorites right now! Hope you enjoy it...and welcome to the hill. HA


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## Rock31 (Sep 30, 2010)

Nice start man, enjoy your new slope LOL!


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## dirletra (Apr 14, 2009)

Congratulations man! I agree about joining the newbie trade thread... They will surely take care of you!


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## DSturg369 (Apr 6, 2008)

Very nice set-up! :tu


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## z0diac (May 18, 2010)

Dr BootyGrabber said:


> Hey fellas! I'm new to pipes and this is my first post in the pipes section, Well I am graduating college in 2 weeks and decided to head over to Watch City and spoil myself with a graduation gift :biggrin: after some council with the gentleman behind the counter I decided on a $40.00 Leonessa pipe from Italy. I was told its a good starter pipe......
> 
> I also picked up a tin of Dunhill early morning pipe and this will seem very newb but can someone tell me how to get the lid off, lol I can't seem to get it open ive tried twisting both ways and it wont budge....


Nice looking pipe! If you're coming over from cigars then you might find that tobacco a bit light (if I remember correctly from the reviews).

I also came over to pipes from cigars. Well, not OVER to.. I'm still on the cigar side very much. I don't have a lot of time to smoke so I find the advantage of a pipe is I can let it burn out, walk inside, put it on the shelf, then pick it up again at another time. 'Not so easy with a cigar (and they stink up a room when only half burnt!  )

For the lid there's a little indentation where you can put a quarter in and twist. BUT.. I find it easier to just use a table knife, stick it under lid, and pry open. I have an easier time finding table knives than pocket change. Once open, they'll twist open/closed with ease.

I haven't tried a lot of pipe tobacco, but coming from cigars I was used to a nice STRONG smoke. Tried an aromatic as my first pipe tobacco and was thoroughly disappointed. Very weak. Made my tongue feel like I chewed batteries. I then ordered some non-aromatics, and have VERY much enjoyed Sam Gawith 1792, and Sam Gawith Full Virginia Flake.

I have yet to try my other tins: Dunhill Flake, Dunhill London Mixture. (and I DID NOT like my first bowl of Esoterica Tobacciana Margate, although some people have nothing but great stuff to say about it)

But if you find pipe smoking very weak at first, try some 1792 flake. I'm still looking for something stronger, but that's probably the strongest I've tried so far.


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## pffintuff (Apr 20, 2011)

Nice score ! Those tins are a pain in the ass. After they're open, they're not air tight. If you leave them out a day or so, they will dry out.


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## DanR (Nov 27, 2010)

Best advice I got when I came over was to get some mason jars. They're less than $10 bucks a dozen at the grocery store and help keep your tobacco fresh.

I also did the newbie trade and wow, it really opens you up to a new world of flavors.


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## Natedogg (Jun 21, 2010)

Nice starter there!

Nice handle too. lol


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## Sblumberjack (Mar 20, 2011)

[I also picked up a tin of Dunhill early morning pipe and this will seem very newb but can someone tell me how to get the lid off, lol I can't seem to get it open ive tried twisting both ways and it wont budge....

[/QUOTE]

I know how you feel, I kept twisting mine also. I finally googled how to open and found the answer. My first tin was EMP, as well and it has become one of my favs. For sure get to the newbie trade thred for the hook up and welcome to the pipe side.


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## Zeb Zoober (Oct 31, 2009)

I'm a few months down the pipe slope and loving it. I also came from the cigar side. It took the English blends to get me really going on pipe baccy since I was used to cigars. Now I have gone back to trying many of the Va, VaPers, etc blends. I now find enjoyment in the milder and sweeter blends just like I love the English blends. I think the key was to enjoy the stronger blends and then work backwards, so to speak. Now my cigars are sitting and just aging in my humidors and cooler while I enjoy my pipes every day.

If you fell that hard for cigars, then look out with pipe smoking. Now with a little over 3 months into this, my pipe count is up to 20 and have over 5 pounds of various blends in mason jars and tins. Only saving grace is that the cost ratio for pipe smoking is much lower than cigars.

Great selection in EMP and nice starter pipe.


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## Zfog (Oct 16, 2010)

Welcome to this side of the Slope brother! Hit up the NST!!!


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## Jeff10236 (Nov 21, 2010)

Nice starter kit. 

Leonessa makes terrific starter pipes, you were steered in the right direction there. 

I haven't had Dunhill EMP yet (I will soon thanks to a nice bomb by User Name- pictures and thread will be posted after work today), but it is a mild English. While as a mild English, it will be a bit mellow if you are used to cigars, it may not be a bad way to start. For many people, latakia (the smokey smell in the tin) is an aquired taste, going too strong to start with might turn you off. From there, try Frog Morton and its variations, Penzance (if you can find some), Dunhill MM965, and some other medium to fuller strength English blends.

The Eureka may be that store's own blend, more likely it is a relabelled bulk from one of the major blenders. Either way, the description on the bag tells me it is an aromatic. Smoke it slowly, you don't want to risk tongue bite which might turn you off. If you don't like it, don't be afraid to try some higher quality aros. If you do like it, I think keeping some aros on hand (even if you end up preferring non-aros) is a good idea. The smells can be very nice.

Be sure to try some Virginia tobaccos and Virginia/perique (VaPer) blends. As a cigar smoker you may prefer the more unadulterated tobacco flavors of these tobaccos. Virginia tobacco has a slight, mellow sweetness to it, a little grassiness, but it is predominately a pure tobacco flavor. While they taste and smell like their own thing, in character they remind me a bit of cigars (I'd compare them to a Connecticut wrapper cigar- mellow, usually not overly strong in flavor, though they often are high in nicotine). The VaPers are like a maduro, Camaroon, or similar wrapper to me- they have a definite spicy flavor to them and have a stronger flavor than the Virginias.

You also may want to pick up a cob. Corn cob pipes can easily be had for under $10, they smoke cool, they don't 'ghost', they don't need a rest like briar, and being cheap you don't have to worry about them as much. They are great pipes for beginners, but due to their advantages many experienced smokers smoke them as well.


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

Hey, he got some of the 'rare' Tom & Jerry pipe cleaners, too!

EMP seems like it would be a nice one to start with, Chuck, but be careful not to load that fine cut too tight!


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## Dr BootyGrabber (Feb 11, 2011)

Awesome post! thanks for all the good tidbits of advice, When you mentioned "rest" for the pipe what do you mean?



Jeff10236 said:


> Nice starter kit.
> 
> Leonessa makes terrific starter pipes, you were steered in the right direction there.
> 
> ...


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

Most people will only use a particular briar once in a set period of time, in order to 'rest' the pipe, allow it to dry out, etc. For some it's a day, for some it's a week.


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## Dr BootyGrabber (Feb 11, 2011)

Well owning only 1 pipe that might present a problem but I see what you mean, thanks!



MarkC said:


> Most people will only use a particular briar once in a set period of time, in order to 'rest' the pipe, allow it to dry out, etc. For some it's a day, for some it's a week.


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## BlackandGold508 (Jan 23, 2011)

Awesome man !! looks good ! i cant wait to explore pipe smoking !!!!


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

Dr BootyGrabber said:


> Well owning only 1 pipe that might present a problem but I see what you mean, thanks!


Make sure you clean it with a pipe cleaner between smokes (or even during) and let it cool. You can get a few bowls out of pipe per day. Keep the tobacco you're smoking on the dry side and it won't be terrible. There was a time when people actually smoked the same pipe all day -- EVERY day.

And +1 for a few cobs. You can smoke cobs more or less continuously.


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## DSturg369 (Apr 6, 2008)

A cob pipe or five will allow you to rest your briar in between smokes...24 hours is a good starting point. Some briars need more time to rest. Plus, it gives you more pipes for just a little $$.


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